Truth and Lie
by The Potless Stoner
Summary: "About the truth, if you give it to a person, then he has power over you. And if someone gives it to you, then they have made themselves your slave. It is a strong magic. You can never take back."
1. Chapter 1

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Struck by inspiration when I should be doing my homework, I read a line from the story we're supposed to be analyzing and had to write. Enjoy!

On with the show!

Disclaimer: …

"_About the truth, if you give it to a person, then he has power over you. And if someone gives it to you, then they have made themselves your slave. It is a strong magic. You can never take back." (Chaq Uxmal Paloquin)_

The only truth Azula has ever spoken is when she says she always lies. An honest word has never slipped passed her red painted lips and in all likely hood never will. To speak truth, her father has always told her, is to give away power to another, and of course power is reserved for the royal. One from the Fire Lord's family, cannot give up power no matter how minor, it is dishonorable, and punishable. Watching the pathetic excuse for an Agni Kia and seeing her idiot brother burned had driven this home. Her brother had spoken the truth in a room full of generals. He'd given his power to them, and he'd been punished severally.

It was for this reason 'truth' was never spoken by any of the house of Sozin.

She looked down at the girl beside her, yet to wake even as the sun rose and warmed the blankets covering them both. The girl beside her couldn't have been more different in this way. She couldn't remember a time the acrobat had ever lied to her. Even with all her expertise in the field, and natural suspicion the fire bender had never detected the girl lying to her.

Low, unintelligible mumbling left the still sleeping girl, followed by three words that struck cords in the princess's heart. The girl in her arms never lied, so those words had to be truth by simple logic, but it wasn't possible. Her arm tightened around the acrobat, she had to be lying this time, but as sleep blurred gray eyes met her own any accusation of distrust she might have said left. It wasn't possible for the sleepy girl to lie.

With a low sigh she replied to the girl's sleep drunk words, "I love you too, Ty Lee."

The acidic taste of lies still hanging in her mouth from years of use twisted through her words, and even her ears could not tell if they were truth or lie.


	2. Chapter 2

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So… The first chapter is stand alone, if you want it to be. The next few are connected to it loosely, mostly based on similar theme more than plot.

Each chapter will have a quote to start it if you've got one you want me to use, put it in a review! Thank you to I'm a Lover not a Hater for the first few!

On with the show!

Disclaimer: …

"_When you tell enough lies, you begin to believe then," (Anonymous) _

The bars around her began to blur together, just as time had begun to blur months before, or was it years? She shook herself, focusing again. The bars reappeared, turning to solid strips once more. Just in time for her to see the heavy iron door on the other side of the cage open, admitting a girl dressed in pink.

She shook her head again. If they weren't twisting her vision, they were creating impossible ones. The pink girl approached unlocking the cage door and stepping inside. Her blurred and twisted mind brought the image of a fairy tale to her mind, the young maiden entering the dragon's lair to appease it.

"Hi, 'Zula," the girl said cheerily, taking a seat on the prison floor beside the chained girl.

_She's not there, _she thought to herself, not looking at the girl, hopping she would go if she was ignored.

"I missed you," the acrobat wrapped her arms around the unresponsive girl.

Azula stiffened further, _She's not there,_ she reminded herself or tried to, the weight around her neck felt so real, the softness of the skin, just as she remembered it. When the girl shifted closer to her, putting her into the fire bender's lap, it became harder to keep the words in her head, _she's not here_, but the scent of fire lilies, and river water, and the subtle hint of animal musk that had never quiet left the girl after her excursions with the circus, pushed the words away.

The aura reader's stormy gray eyes met hers, "I still love you," she whispered, warm breath meeting the princess's lips, making her inadvertently inhale. Soft lips met her own and prompted a low sigh from the fire bender, her mind began to blur as the bars had done moments ago, or was it hours? _She's not here… She's not here… She's not here…_ She felt the shift and hears a low whisper, but couldn't register the words. The weight disappears from her and she opens her eyes just a few seconds too late to be able to see the girl leave out the door.

She pulls her legs up to her chest and whispers the words aloud to herself, "she wasn't here," and as the bars fade once more, her hearing do too, and the words sound true.


	3. Chapter 3

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Awesome song, the first time I actually listened, listened to it. Love it! Btw I'm so so so sorry for not posting on Adi Gre! I've been working at the next chapter like crazy, and I think it's almost ready for public viewing, thank you all for being patient with me! Please forgive me!

On with the show!

Disclaimer: …

"_Imagine the insult's a blessing. Imagine accepting the truth." ("Truth" by Limp Bizket)_

It had always been Azula's way to insult those around her. Ty Lee had long accepted that. She'd also accepted that the closer one was to Azula, the more barbarous her tongue became. It was because of this she'd learned to grin and bear whatever insults might come her way from the fire bender since the more there were the closer it meant she was to the princess.

Mai and Zuko had stopped early on trying to get her to see Azula's insults were anything but the veiled terms of endearment she believed them to be. Now they only watched from a distance, shaking their heads when they saw her flinch at some new venom filled words.

Of course, Azula's tongue became more vicious behind closed doors. While in public the princess had learned to curb her insults to jabs at the acrobat's intelligence or hitting the multitude of reasons the fire bender had come up with as to why she was a freak.

Behind closed doors she could not defend herself. Those were the ones whispered against her skin in moments of heat. When her voice caught and hitched in moans Azula's turned husky and heated, but all the more brutal, punctuating her words with a thrust of her fingers into the acrobat, not allowing her to contest. Words like 'whore' and 'slut' branded her skin deeper than the fire bender's teeth that trailed her neck.

She didn't mind it, or she told herself she didn't. It was just Azula being Azula. Even when they struck too deeply, like when the fire bender would purposely call out one of her sister's names in the throes of passion, or when she would tear into the acrobat with unfounded accusations of sordid activities with the other circus performers. Ty Lee took them and smiled back, believing they were signs of the princess's affections for her.

Now, her eyes met the sharp gold of the princess's and she felt the cool spread of fear run through her.

For a moment Azula's jaw worked, and Ty Lee knew a slew of vicious words were warring to be first off the princess's lips. However, instead of the impassioned rant she was waiting for, Azula only said one word: "traitor." Then she was gone.

In that one word there was anger, but not the anger Ty Lee had expected. In it was only the fury of betrayal, not the pain of loss or regret.

That one word worked its way between her ribs and into her heart more surely than a bolt of lightning from the princess's finger tips, and with it came the truth.


End file.
